The Richest Zip Codes In The United States [PHOTOS]

Harry Bradford
Associate Editor, HuffPost Business and HuffPost Small Business

It may be only five numbers long, but a zip code can say a lot about a person. Like if they have rich neighbors, for example.

Of 29,000 zip codes examined by the Internal Revenue Service, only three had an average yearly income of one million dollars or more, based on recently released data from 2008 (h/t Tax.com). But the average income per year for all of the top ten richest zip codes exceeds $700,000, according to IRS data, a staggering sum compared to the average American taxpayer's income of just $49,000 in 2009.

Three of the wealthiest five zip codes are located in New York City, but neighborhoods in California, Florida and Illinois also made the top ten in highest average income.

That New York City boasts so many cash-money zip codes may not be surprising. Not only does the city count among its residents 7,270 people worth $30 million or more, it's also one of the most expensive places to live in the nation. Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn all count in the top five towns with the highest cost of living, a report from the Council for Community and Economic Research found.

Thanks to the high cost of living, a Manhattanite making $60,000 a year lives a lifestyle equivalent to the average American making just $26,092, according to a 2009 Center for an Urban Future report cited by the New York Daily News.